Anti-racism protest after migrant shooting in Italy

Several thousand anti-racism protesters have rallied in the central Italian town of Macerata, one week after a far-right activist shot and wounded six people he thought were migrants, APA reports quoting BBC.

The drive-by attack followed the arrest of a Nigerian suspected of murdering and dismembering a local woman.

The town's mayor said comments on social media had fed a climate of hatred before the shootings.

Italy votes in national elections on 4 March, with immigration a key issue.

Mayor Romano Carancini had asked for the demonstration to be cancelled to maintain calm in the town but the regional authority gave the go-ahead, AFP news agency reports.

Schools remained closed, a church service was cancelled and shops closed at midday over fears clashes could break out.

On Thursday evening there were clashes when a group of several dozen activists from the far-right group Forza Nuova demonstrated against immigration and confronted police with fascist salutes.